Substance Use Disorders
This section provides EMS professionals with resources and training focused on identifying, managing and responding to patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Articles cover recognition of drug and alcohol use in the field, treatment best practices, harm reduction strategies, and the evolving role of EMS in the opioid crisis. Learn how to address provider safety, compassion fatigue and stigma, while improving patient outcomes through evidence-based care and community partnerships.
Paramedic Willie Doan Shares an urgent plea for change in a time when employee wellbeing is often sidelined in favor of productivity and profit
Learn how the Philadelphia Fire Department redefined service delivery, funding and success
Is your agency in compliance with requirements? How can you protect yourself and your staff from the fallout of drug diversion?
A collaboration between NASEMSO, NAEMSP and ACEP produced an evidence-based guideline for EMS providers to follow when considering naloxone for patient treatment
Since legalizing and selling marijuana last November, state emergency rooms have seen dozens of children who have ingested edibles
The program has allowed injection drug users to trade dirty needles for clean ones, distributed naloxone and connected users to wound care and drug treatment
Jody Heglar was sentenced to 15 years for driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license, which was reduced to 14 months of time served and probation
Robert Gala, 26, unsuccessfully argued that his oxycodone addiction was a disability that should have spared him termination after five years on the job
In its second year, the benchmark report based on EMS national data digs deeper into five key metrics and adds two additional measures
Robert Duncan, U.S. attorney for eastern Kentucky, called the doctors involved “white-coated drug dealers”
Gordon Smith, the state’s director of opioid response, said having the antidote on hand in a school building could save the life of a student, staff member or visitor
The funds will be used for prevention, access to treatment and improved links to care
City of Seattle‘s nightlife business advocate and program creator Scott Plusquellec said preventative action is key
Tucson Unified and Amphitheater Public Schools are both stocking Narcan doses in the event of an overdose
Consisting of a police officer, a paramedic and a mental health representative, the team follows up with overdose patients within 72 hours to offer support
Terre Haute police and fire departments will each receive 60 kits over a six-month period, while the sheriff’s office will receive 12 kits for the six-month time frame
Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Carlos Rosario shares his recovery after being struck on a roadway and promotes safety during Distracted Driver Awareness Month
After two paramedics were charged with taking drugs from the voluntary drop box, officials are wondering how effective the program is
Public safety experts discuss how they were able to identify and implement forward-thinking local approaches to address national problems like cardiac arrest and opioid overdose
Jon Cinelli and Jeremy Pecoraro were arrested on suspicion of criminal possession of a controlled substance and were suspended with pay
Paramedic Dane Arredondo is charged with stealing several different kinds of drugs from the Oglala Sioux Tribe Ambulance Service on the Pine Ridge Reservation
Lake County officials are concerned about the 21 percent rise in local drug overdoses last year
Medical Director and Emergency Physician Gene Hern explores the potential for treating patients with opioid use disorder with buprenorphine
Titrating naloxone through an intranasal dose through a nebulizer and monitoring with capnography can reduce the risks of opioid withdrawal symptoms to the patient and EMS provider
David L. Gardener was arrested for battery of a police officer after he was removed from the back of an ambulance for drinking saline from bags
I was unprepared for the sheer number of alcohol withdrawal patients I would see as a correctional physician
Board certified emergency medicine physician Bryan Bledsoe says EMS providers rarely need to administer naloxone
Citing the impact of widespread addiction on public resources, hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against pharmaceutical manufacturers and retailers
EMS records show Nathanial Rhodes was taken to the police station instead of the hospital after a vehicle crash, where body cam footage shows him collapsing
Rotating pharmaceutical stock, and exploring alternative pain management and expired drug options can mitigate EMS drug shortages
Researchers found that the FDA and opioid manufacturers failed to monitor the restricted use of a powerful type of fentanyl even after problems were discovered
NH Project FIRST enlists “quick response teams” to return after an overdose call and offer to connect individuals with services at their local treatment hub